THE PROCESS

DIAMOND DIVING

Diamond diving is a highly skilled and dangerous job. Working from boats moored behind the treacherous breakers the sea divers operate giant suction pipes. The precious seabed gravel suctioned from the ocean bed is then pumped into a classifier that separates the larger stones from the gravel. The remaining gravel is then “jigged” which means that the diamonds are sorted from the gravel using a vibrating pan system. The heavier stones such as rubies, olivines, garnets and diamonds, fall into the pan. They are then meticulously sorted before being cut and lovingly set.

The treacherous sea conditions and 4m deep sand deposits found off the Westcoast of Africa presented Aphrodite Diamonds with a challenge, – How toreach these allusive precious stones.

The Answer – a unique invention called “The Big Easy” – she’s a powerful machine that excavates and classifies the gravel. Her unique features makes her very movable and stable, allowing one to reach the larger rocks as she moves along the shallows. The operator directs the boom – sucking up the large rocks that conventional methods can not normally move. This allowes Aphrodite Diamonds the opportunity of discovering these rare treasures.

When you choose an Aphrodite diamond you are buying more than just the king of all precious stones – you are buying an integral part of mankind’s history.

DIAMOND CUTTING

Diamond Cutting is a highly technical process, which requires great skill, expertise and training. The quality of a finished diamond depends, to a great extent, on how well its purity and brilliance is rendered. The radiance of the stone is perceived by the viewer through the refraction and reflection of light in and through the stone. It is the job of the diamond cutter to shape the stone optimally in terms of its interaction with light. Diamond cutting includes various processes and methods, of which sawing, bruting, crossworking and polishing are some of the main stages.

The art of sawing had already been practiced for over 150 years before diamond cutting firms introduced it into the business in the late 1940s. Ever since its introduction, it has drastically influenced diamond shapes and faceting.

Bruting is the first major process through which the diamond is shaped. It is a process in which force and friction is used to wear away the diamond into its round brilliant shape.

Crossworking involves the pre-shaping of the stone in order to ready it for brillianteering. This process ensures that all the main facets are the same size.

Brillianteering (polishing) is the final stage in the cutting process. The diamond is perfected on the polishing wheel, also known as the polishing disc, plate or scaife. The conventional polishing wheel has undergone little change since it first came into operation, and proves that the gradual and conventional process is most reliable and cost-effective. Brillianteering is the process that gives brilliance to the diamond, which determines its light reflection.